Commitment To Diversity

John Hancock's Vallejo Heads for Afghanistan,
Recognizes Support of Colleagues

Sgt. Oswaldo Vallejo is in Afghanistan serving his country with the 26th Yankee Brigade of the Massachusetts National Guard and Reserve. But before he left to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom, he made sure that his colleagues at John Hancock Records Management and Imaging Services (RMIS) knew just how much he appreciated the support they have given him.

And he went well beyond merely making the rounds at the 27 Drydock facility and shaking hands with co-workers.

Sgt. Vallejo, an archival clerk for RMIS who had been deployed four times previously, nominated his Manager, Dorothy Lovell-Hopkins, his former Senior Manager, Ed Testa, and Beverly Heaslip, Director, RMIS, for the U.S. Department of Defense's prestigious Patriot Award, which recognizes employers for "extraordinary support" of members of the National Guard and Reserve.

The three received the award on behalf of John Hancock at a recent ceremony at Drydock during which they praised Sgt. Vallejo as an employee dedicated to both his work and his country, and heard why the award is considered extremely significant by the Department of Defense (DOD).

The Patriot Award honors employers "for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America's National Guard and Reserve force."

John Hancock has long supported Company employees who serve in the military as members of the National Guard and Reserve. Sgt. Vallejo is one of two John Hancock employees currently on active military leave.

In an email Sgt. Vallejo sent Ms. Heaslip after the ceremony, he wrote, "As a member of the National Guard, the support of my employer John Hancock has helped me fulfill my mission for our country. My supervisors Dorothy Lovell-Hopkins, Beverly Heaslip and Ed Testa approve of my service and sanction any time off I need to take for Guard duty.

"I have to thank everyone at John Hancock 27 Drydock in South Boston for the heartfelt send-off they gave me on my last day of work before my deployment. It meant a lot to me. I will miss you all and cannot wait to return to work."

During the Patriot Award ceremony, John Pelose, a representative of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, an agency of the DOD, said "It's very important for the DOD to say 'thank you' to employers like John Hancock. It's a tough mission that Oswaldo and our other National Guard soldiers are on, and being supportive of their military service is crucial. It's nice for Oswaldo to know that when he's away he doesn't have to worry about his job."

Ms. Lovell-Hopkins, Ms. Heaslip and Mr. Testa had nothing but praise for their colleague.

"I cried when I found out that Oswaldo was being deployed," said Ms. Lovell-Hopkins, whose own son, Robert, just returned from a one-year deployment to Afghanistan. "We're going to miss Oswaldo. He's a real go-getter."

Ms. Heaslip agreed. "Oswaldo was on his two-week training and came into my office in his full uniform to let me know he was being deployed and give me a copy of his orders," she said. "We were shocked, but of course, completely supportive. He's a great guy and a great worker."

Mr. Testa summed up the feeling of his John Hancock colleagues: "We're all very proud of Oswaldo."